Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Children’s Animal Books

READY… SET… FROG! by Katharine Mitropoulos – Children’s Picture Books, Children’s Friendship Books, Children’s Animal Stories

One can’t help but smile upon meeting the bespectacled green splay-toed creature on the opening pages of Katherine Mitopoulos’ delightful children’s book, Ready … Set …Frog!

The story centers around the charming, lively character Frogathan Spots, aka Frog, who loves a challenge. When Frog learns his street is hosting a neighborhood fair, complete with an obstacle course, he starts anxiously preparing for the event. Unfortunately, his friends keep interrupting his practice set-ups, asking for help with their own business. Almost ready to bow out of the contest, Frog musters the courage to join the fun along with a rabbit, kangaroo, and grasshopper. Though the final results may not be all that Frog hoped for, the lessons he learns are truly trophy-worthy.

Within this whimsical tale, Frog realizes the importance of helping others.

Whether picking an apple for a mole baking a homemade pie, assisting a tall giraffe to wear a floppy purple hat on a sunny day, or rescuing a stranded little feline, Frog is there to help his friends in need. When Frog realizes he hasn’t had time to practice for the race, his mother helps him see that he did his training, just in unexpected ways. Perhaps more important is his mom explaining that it’s okay to say no sometimes to helping others, and instead take the time we need for our own endeavors. Like anything else, learning to balance our own needs with those of others takes time and practice.

Mitropoulos’ heartfelt, creative storyline is highlighted by Laura Watson’s endearing illustrations.

These anthropomorphized characters take on charming quirks as we see them seated at the breakfast table with plates of flies, glasses of milk for the kids, and coffee for the adults, happily perusing the morning paper. Mom and daughter accessorize with bows, jewelry, and fluttering eyelashes, while dad sports a striped necktie. These friendly amphibians have expressive facial features that will draw in young readers and adults sharing storytime.

Watson mixes natural shades for her illustrations with bright pops of color and vibrant shades of green that highlight the characters in center stage.

Mitropoulos’ well-crafted story, in combination with Watson’s artful designs, will both teach and entertain.

May 12, 2023
SORA SEARCHES For A SONG by Once Upon a Dance – Children’s Dancing Books, Picture Books, Children’s Adventure Books

Sora Searches for a Song from Once Upon a Dance will delight children and adults with its synthesis of story and movement.

Once Upon a Dance features several creative works that combine reading with physical activity, and this book delivers that pairing with gusto. Beginning with a beautiful overview of a marsh, we are introduced to Sora, a little cricket who everyone says has no imagination. In place of imagination, however, this cricket has the remarkable gift of transformation. Sora discovers the ability to turn into living beings like birds and fish, which allows for a greater understanding of the different songs sung by all creatures.

The charming storytelling is paired with two sides of dancing instruction.

Ballerina Konora demonstrates a movement in image, and a written description not only explains the motion but also how it relates to the current moment in the story. Konora’s careful instructions are perfect for both visual and auditory learners, as the reader can easily walk their children through the steps.

Sora’s transformations lead to a wonderful gain in confidence that is sure to be mirrored by those who dance along with the story.

With a strong message of celebrating oneself, being open to learning new skills, and finding a place of belonging, Sora Searches for a Song is a book you will read again and again. A worthwhile installment of the wide collection of books from Once Upon a Dance.

May 1, 2023
PEBBLES And The BIGGEST NUMBER by Joey Benun, illustrated by Laura Watson – Picture Books, Children’s Science Books, Science & Nature

Pebbles the butterfly loves to count as much as he can in his garden. But soon enough he gets curious, and in Pebbles and the Biggest Number by Joey Benun, he embarks on a science-filled quest to find the world’s truly gigantic numbers.

While the numbers start small, they quickly grow bigger and bigger, as do the wild events that Pebbles must face. Our butterfly guide wanders from forests to deserts, and encounters earthquakes, tsunamis, and even an avalanche. Each landscape and natural disaster pushes Pebbles onward to meet new friends and find even bigger numbers.

How big can the numbers get?

You’ll find no made-up numbers in Pebbles and the Biggest Number. Everything from a quintillion to a googolplex actually exists, though it isn’t long before the numbers become nearly impossible to imagine. However, there is a handy sand chart in the back to put some numbers into immense perspective. This is the kind of book that kids will sit with for long hours and astound you with the facts they’ve learned.

The friendly creatures and beautifully rendered landscapes of Pebbles’s journey will engage young and curious minds. Complete with extra notes and definitions in the back, this book will continue to teach even after the story ends.

Pebbles and the Biggest Number is hopefully the start of a great new series explaining the world to young readers. With its wonderful descriptions and knowledge, this book comes highly recommended!

March 20, 2023
RAVENS ROOST by Maggie Bates – Children’s Nature Books, Illustrated Books, Children’s Friendship Books

Maggie Bates’s Ravens Roost is a Children’s book that explores the illustrated nighttime adventures of a woman with her friend, a small frog.

This story teaches children how to be curious about forest animals, even in the middle of a wind storm. Bates is new to writing Children’s books, and cares deeply for the natural world. Her rapport with animals likely inspired her debut tale.

Ravens Roost begins with a frog sitting on a roof, wondering where ravens go at night. The woman who lives in the house decides to help the frog follow his curiosity on an adventure. First, she climbs up a tree to watch ravens soar overhead. She admires the moon and notices the birds perching in her favorite tree. She climbs down and starts her trek along a forest path as night falls and the wind picks up. The woman tucks her frog friend into her pocket for safety. Along their journey, the frog and the woman share a special friendship.

The pair get trapped in the storm and the woman feels lost about where the ravens have gone.

Illustrations of the storm, the face of the wind, and the swirling background add depth and complexity to a pivotal part in the story. These images bring the story to life and sweep the reader up in their tale.

Ravens Roost is imaginative and observant of the world, making it a good choice for building vocabulary with a youngster.

This story’s lessons come in elegant prose. After reading of the author’s love and respect for nature at the end of the book, the parallels between the lead character and the author become apparent. Some beautiful ideas from Ravens Roost are realized by letting the wind carry us away, admiring numerous ravens on a perch, or protecting a frog from harm during a storm. Maggie Bates teaches children to be curious about animals, and the world we share with them.

Although the woman and frog are different in many ways, their ability to coexist is a valuable lesson.

In the end, if we do not stop to admire the natural beauty that surrounds us, we are overlooking unlikely friendships that may form, such as a woman with a frog. Bates reminds us that nature is a sacred space in her debut tale, and this story is paramount to us appreciating nature at any age.

July 1, 2022
BUCK: Keeper of the Meadow by Gloria Two-Feathers – Children’s Books, Animal Books, Native American Tales Children’s Books

In this engaging children’s tale by author Gloria Two-Feathers, a young colt named Buck will learn how to obey, how to defend, and how to strike out on his own.

The scene is set in the Great Plains, where a river named Minisose divides a sea of tall green prairie grass. Many animals call that grassland their home, and the most magnificent is the herd of wild horses led by a dark stallion named Plenty Coups and his chosen mate, the lovely cream-colored mare, Cloud. By tradition and instinct, Plenty Coups protects the herd from attackers, while Cloud leads them to safety.

Cloud knows how to find watering holes when the sun, Wi, is at its hottest and how to locate grass when Winter Man covers the ground with snow. One day in early spring, she realizes she must find a safe place to deliver a foal. In a secluded spot near a little pool, surrounded by the fresh grass, she delivers Buck, the young colt who soon accompanies her to find the herd again. But the winter has brought out a pack of hungry wolves led by the fierce Yellow Eyes, determined to bring Cloud down and feast on her son. This is the first great danger Buck will face, and he shows himself to be smart, plucky, and independent. One day these qualities will come to the fore as he takes on his destined role: to search for and rule over a magic meadow.

This mystical story is intertwined with the ancient lore of the Lakota people. This is the second book for children with a traditional framework, the first being the award-winning and delightful, Tallulah’s Flying Adventure. In this book, Two-Feathers identifies many natural presences with traditional names that play a role in the story’s drama and poetic nature. Buck’s youthful spunk will resonate with children and adults who will admire his spirit and growing strength. As much as readers admire Buck, they will fall in love with Cloud, the gentle mother who is not afraid to fend off a gang of bloodthirsty wolves. Buck – Keeper of the Meadow contains beautiful, expressive illustrations by fourteen-year-old artist Lucy Roe, and concludes with an urgent plea to all children, “to save the wilderness areas for future of all creatures,” as Buck will do as he guards the ancient meadows.

Buck: Keeper of the Meadow will be a strong read-to for younger children and a very appropriate exploration for older children and young teens, with many thought- and question-provoking themes for family talks and lively classroom discussions.

November 30, 2020
YOGA FOX by Sylva Fae – Children’s Animal Books, Children’s Fox Books, Children’s Lit.

Self-respect and determination provide the themes for this cheerful children’s book by English author Sylva Fae.

When he was little, Scaredy Fox was scared of everything: the dark, his shadow, thunder. But now he’s older and the only animal in the forest with a negative nickname. There’s Funny Bear, Bright Owl, Running Deer, and even Scaredy’s own brother, Lucky Fox. Lying at the edge of a park, Scaredy spies some girls doing something they call “yoga.”

The young fox is inspired. He returns to the forest and begins to assume strange postures, naturally inciting curiosity among the animals. He invents what he calls the Swaying Willow posture, boldly imitates a charging position he calls Warrior Wolf, and many more. It isn’t long before his wish comes true: his animal companions rename him Yoga Fox.

Fae has constructed this vibrant tale imaginatively. The yogic postures depicted, with simple cartoon illustrations, are so engaging that once they are part of the story, readers will want to see what strange shape comes next. This sense is enhanced with a final page in which all poses are repeated, inviting children to try them and invent their own names for each one. Fae’s creation makes a genuinely satisfying read for youngsters and for their parents or grandparents. The central idea – striving for self-improvement – can be discussed in the process, making this a multi-layered experience for all.

Yoga Fox won First Place in the CIBA 2018 Little Peeps Awards for Early Readers Books.

July 29, 2020